


Welcome to the Family

by gaysquared



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: And yet, Crack, Crack Relationships, F/F, Femslash, Humor, I call it crack, I’m completely invested and totally serious, Malcolm being somewhat oblivious for once, Multi, Rare Pairings, malcolm and dani are buds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 10:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaysquared/pseuds/gaysquared
Summary: “Malcolm,” Dani gave a warning tone. But, like every other warning he’d received in his life, Malcolm blew right past it.





	Welcome to the Family

**Author's Note:**

> I’m out here 100% repping Dani and Ainsley even though they’ve never met, and I stand by that. 
> 
> This takes place at some completely conceptual point in the future; everyone’s gotten a little closer and settled into more of a routine. 
> 
> This is, like, not my best writing at ALL but you know what they say write what makes you happy and I’m gonna do just that
> 
> (I have no idea if they’re actually in Manhattan, I live on the West Coast and they’ve never explicitly talked about it on the show, help me)

It’d been a long day; although, frankly, when wasn’t it for them; and the sun was just starting to descend below the skyline of towering buildings that made up Manhattan as they all headed back to the police station. 

They’d finally wrapped up another rather grueling case, which everyone seemed relieved by. However, there was still paperwork to do, which left all of Malcolm’s coworkers tied to the station until further notice. Of course, he wasn’t needed any longer; but it wasn’t even dark out yet, and it felt wrong to go home, just like that.

So, instead, he wandered into the break room with a cup of tea (herbal, because he’d been getting chided lately by multiple health professionals for having _any_ caffeine at all after 2pm), only to see Dani looking over her case file, a mug of coffee resting next to her hand. They were otherwise alone, the office relatively abandoned on a late Friday afternoon, especially with the holidays coming up. 

“Bright,” she said in calm acknowledgement, not looking up. Malcolm liked that, he thought. It was comfortable; implied enough familiarity that she didn’t have to feign politeness. She blinked, and closed the file with a sigh, finally looking up at him as he came to stand in front of her. “Chamomile again?”

Malcolm found himself deeply aware of the way he scrunched up his face at being found out, a bit embarrassed by the no-caffeine rule (which the rest of the team had actually taken to enforcing; probably because they thought it was funny).

“It’s uh, mint and lavender blend this time, actually,” he said, giving the aromatic tea a soft sniff. 

Dani made an absent sound in the back of her throat. “Good to mix it up, at least.”

“Right.” Malcolm sighed, eyeing Dani’s phone where it sat next to her coffee. It gave a buzz, and she ignored it. _Just ask, Malcolm,_ he reminded himself. _She told you to just ask_. “Have you been seeing someone?” he said suddenly, tongue unbidden as usual. 

Dani’s eyes went wider than he’d ever seen before, which was kind of comical, really, but—

“_What?_”

Malcolm took a breath, realizing he’d thrown himself in the deep end once again. “You said if I was wondering about something going on with you to just ask. Because you don’t like the profiling. And I thought maybe technically we’re full-friends now, because of that time I sort of almost saved your life, kinda, so it wouldn’t be weird, but—“

“Malcolm,” Dani said calmly. “Jumping in front of someone who’s already wearing a bullet-proof vest does _not_ count as almost saving their life.”

Malcolm might disagree, but he held his tongue on that, at least. “It’s just, you’ve been acting like it. Like you’re seeing someone.”

Dani narrowed her eyes at him, as if to admonish him for snooping, but it wasn’t like he could just choose not to notice these things. She’d come in late to work a few times; only by five minutes, but she was usually very punctual. Sometimes her clothes were wrinkled, as if she’d dressed quickly. And, most of all, often now she’d look at her phone, and just the tiniest corner of her mouth would quirk up. Then she’d put the phone down, and school her face back to something cool, like nothing had ever happened. Really, it was all right there. 

“I just picked up on it,” Malcolm said, holding his hands up, right thumb wrapped around the handle of his mug. “I wasn’t trying to, or anything. But, like I said. You said I should just ask.”

Dani looked angry, but not at him; at herself. “On second thought, maybe don’t ask at all,” she said, distracting herself by taking a sip of her coffee. 

“But then I’ll have to _guess_,” he complained. Truly, what else was he supposed to do? Leave it alone?

“No, you really don’t,” Dani muttered into her cup. 

Malcolm knew she liked her privacy, but what could be so unspeakable about some new partner of hers? It’s not like he could ever judge her for, well, _anything_ really. Whatever was unique about her relationship, Malcolm had seen a thousand things weirder. 

“What is it? Is there an age difference? Are they older than you?”

Dani snorted, her mouth quirking. No, then, not older. 

“Younger than you?”

She rolled her eyes, but the tiniest pinch around her mouth betrayed her. A younger partner, then. But why would Dani keep that a secret? It’s not as if she’d ever date someone young enough that it would be truly inappropriate. No, it had to be something else. 

Gender, maybe, Malcolm realized; but no, he couldn’t ask her about that. Not when she’d give him an answer whether she wanted to or not. That felt the same as outing her. 

Mind turning, he pulled out a chair next to her, and finally sat down, putting his cup on the table. She didn’t look altogether happy about this, but ignored him in favor of drinking more coffee; albeit very slowly, as if she knew she might need an outlet to scowl into for quite a while if the conversation continued. 

“I don’t mean to pry, it’s just—“

“Then stop.”

“But I just honestly wanted to know! If we are friends, then that means we look out for each other, and we care about each other’s lives, right?”

Dani’s mouth softened, and she put down her cup with a sigh. “It’s not entirely my choice, Malcolm.”

So it was her partner that didn’t want anyone to know. That was interesting, but it also sent his mind reeling faster; was Dani okay? Why did it need to be a secret? What was the big deal?

“Is it a conflict of interest? A coworker? Somebody else in a related field? Could they lose their job?”

Dani huffed, brow knitting, as if going through his questions. “They’re... fine, they just. Have their preferences.”

The slightest downturn of her lips, pressing in. Guilt? Why did she feel guilty? What was going on?

“So it’s not anything that would officially be considered unethical,” Malcolm observed, sitting back in his chair. “But you still _feel_ like it’s a conflict of interest.”

“Malcolm,” Dani gave a warning tone. But, like every other warning he’d received in his life, Malcolm blew right past it. 

“You’d be unlikely to willingly get involved with a controlling personality, not at this point in your life,” Malcolm thought out loud, “so either you agree with them on some level about keeping it a secret, or it just doesn’t seem that big a deal to have to stay quiet about it; plus, you clearly seem to like them—“

“_Malcolm—“_

Dani’s phone began to buzz. A number lit up on the screen, but Dani grit her teeth, hit the lock button and turned it over. Malcolm’s brain stalled for a moment, as he realized the number seemed familiar.

The news station. 

“They’re part of the press?”

Dani looked like she might be considering hitting his head against the conference table. 

“Were they calling because you had plans in place before you knew you had paperwork?”

Dani held a hand to her face, the sleeve of her sweater slipping down her wrist. “Bright, I swear to god—“

That, finally, was when he saw it.

“Your watch,” he said, trailing slightly, eyes studying the cool silver standing against her bronze skin, his brow knitting. “It’s familiar. My sister has one just like—“

Dani gave him the most withering, despaired look he’d ever seen in his life. 

“..._Oh_.”

The woman let out a long-suffering sigh, and closed her eyes as she lowered her face to rest her head against her coffee cup.

“You’re dating... _my_ _sister_?” Malcolm thought he heard his voice almost crack. Dani made a pained noise into her coffee. 

His brain was trying desperately to catch up with the situation; he knew they’d met; Ainsley had come down to the station several times in the past; but—

“_My sister?_”

Dani looked up, sighing. “Yeah, buddy. I don’t know how it happened either.”

Malcolm tried to clear his throat, but failed, lips stuck slightly apart. “My... sister.”

“Uh-Huh.”

_Ainsley_ had wanted to keep it a secret. It made him feel a little vindicated, but as he realized it might’ve only been to avoid the exact awkwardness he was currently experiencing, he found it harder and harder to blame her. 

“So... my sister.”

Dani, who seemed to be adjusting faster than he was, rolled her eyes and raised her cup to her lips again. “Is that all you can say, Bright?”

Still uncertain as to how they’d arrived here, Malcolm let out a long breath. After a moment, he said, “Well... uh, welcome to the family, I guess.”

Dani choked on her coffee. 

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway I’m gay and people always say when we don’t get representation to “create our own” so I’m doing just that ya fucks
> 
> I have another idea that basically flips this and Dani is the one who’s oblivious and she thinks Ainsley hates her but Malcolm is deeply aware he’s somehow gotten caught in the middle of his sister’s complicated crush so. Maybe I’ll write that too at some point 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @gaysquaredwrites if you wish my loves


End file.
